1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing foodstuffs such as sausages in which twisted portions of a chain-like stuffed casing with a sausage material or the like stuffed therein and the twisted portions formed therein are cut to separate the sausages or the like from each other at the twisted portions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Raw sausages among sausages, for example, are separated from each other at their chain-like constricted portions and are formed into products before heating and cooking. As this type of an apparatus for manufacturing raw sausages, as disclosed in JP-A-8-256675 filed by the present assignee, an apparatus has been proposed wherein a pair of opposing pincher members have squeezing surfaces for squeezing the stuffed casing, and a constricted portion of the stuffed casing constricted by the pair of pincher members is cut by a blade attached to the pincher member.
As for this proposed apparatus, it is difficult to say that the squeezing surfaces of the pincher members are suitable for cutting the constricted portions of sausages of a type which is difficult to cut. Namely, in this apparatus, since the constricted portion located between the recessed and projecting pinchers with an interval formed therebetween is cut by the blade, in the case of natural intestine casings whose constricted portions are likely to become elongated and stuffed casings whose stuffing density is low, the constricted portion becomes elongated and escapes due to the pressing of the constricted portion by the blade, so that there are cases where the constricted portion cannot be cut completely. In addition, in a stuffed casing containing a low-fluidity stuffing material, there are cases where the stuffing material remains at the constricted portion constricted by the pincher members, and the stuffing material becomes exposed at the cut constricted portion.
Furthermore, in the case of a stuffed natural intestine casing having a large curve in terms of its shape, e.g., a pig""s intestine casing, a twist is likely to occur at that portion of the stuffed natural intestine casing which has not been squeezed by the pincher members, and there are cases where the twist at the cut portion becomes insufficient, exposing the stuffed material from the twisted portion which has been cut.
In addition to the above-described apparatus, an apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,600 is also known. This apparatus has a pair of pincher members on which flat surfaces for constricting the stuffed casing are formed, and a slot of a cutting blade is formed in one of the two flat surfaces. In this apparatus, since the stuffed casing is constricted by causing the two flat surfaces to abut against each other, the timing of generating a twist is delayed, and a twist is difficult to occur in the stuffed casing squeezed by the flat surfaces. Further, there is the possibility of the stuffed casing entering the slot, and a twisted portion in which the material remains can be possibly formed. Still further, since the cutting blade of this apparatus does not enter the inner side of the other surface abutting against one flat surface in which the slot is formed, there is the possibility that that portion of the twisted portion which is located at the position of contact with the other surface cannot be cut completely.
The present invention has been devised in view of the above-described aspects, and it is an object of the invention to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing foodstuffs such as sausages which, even in the case of sausages using a natural intestine casing whose extensibility is noticeable and sausages whose stuffing density is low, make it possible to reliably cut the twisted portions without an error.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing foodstuffs such as sausages which, even in the case of sausages of a low-fluidity stuffing material, make it possible to eliminate the sufficing material from the constricted portions and hence accurately produce at a cutting position the twisted portions in which the stuffing material practically does not remain, thereby making it possible to more reliably cut the twisted portions without an error.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing foodstuffs such as sausages, including natural intestine sausages, which make it possible to form twisted portions in a desired number of twists in the stuffed natural intestine casing having a curved shape, and make it possible to form separated twisted portions excelling in the appearance.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing foodstuffs such as sausages, comprising the steps of: forming a stuffed casing and rotating the stuffed casing; forming a twisted portion in the stuffed casing by squeezing and constricting the rotating stuffed casing at a predetermined interval and conveying the stuffed casing; clamping the twisted portion at at least two positions spaced apart in a conveying direction; and cutting the twisted portion located between the two positions of the clamped twisted portion.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing foodstuffs such as sausages, comprising: stuffed-casing forming and rotating means for forming a stuffed casing and rotating the stuffed casing; stuffed-casing constriction-forming and conveying means for forming a twisted portion in the stuffed casing by squeezing and constricting up to a predetermined interval the stuffed casing being formed and rotated by the stuffed-casing forming and rotating means and for conveying the stuffed casing; clamping means for clamping the twisted portion at at least two positions spaced apart in a conveying direction; and cutting means for cutting the twisted portion located between the two positions of the twisted portion clamped by the clamping means.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing foodstuffs such as sausages, comprising: stuffed-casing forming and rotating means for forming a stuffed casing and rotating the stuffed casing; a pair of endless members for forming a conveying area for conveying the stuffed casing; pincher members attached to one of the endless members at predetermined intervals and each having a recessed surface; clamping members attached to another one of the endless members at the predetermined intervals and each having a projecting surface which moves while being fitted in a recessed surface of the pincher member so as to produce in the conveying area an interval with the recessed surface of the pincher member; stuffed-casing rotating means for rotating the stuffed casing; cutting means each having a cutting blade and moving means provided swingably on the pincher member and adapted to move the cutting blade toward the clamping member; and surface pushing means for relatively pushing out the projecting surface of the clamping member with respect to the recessed surface of the pincher member so as to reduce a face-to-face interval between the recessed surface and the projecting surface opposing and fitted in the recessed surface.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing foodstuffs such as sausages, comprising the steps of: forming a stuffed casing and rotating the stuffed casing; moving a pair of endless members in a conveying area formed by the pair of endless members to convey the stuffed casing; causing a recessed surface of a pincher member attached to one of the pair of endless members to be fitted to a projecting surface of a clamping member attached to another one of the pair of endless members, and squeezing and constricting the stuffed casing located between the recessed surface and the projecting surface; twisting the constricted stuffed casing located between the recessed surface of the pincher member and the projecting surface of the clamping member opposing each other with a face-to-face interval in an upstream-side conveying area; reducing the face-to-face interval between the recessed surface of the pincher member and the projecting surface of the clamping member which move from an upstream-side conveying area toward a downstream-side conveying area; causing the recessed surface of the pincher member and the projecting surface of the clamping member to clamp the twisted casing in cooperation with each other; and cutting in the downstream-side conveying area the twisted casing being clamped by moving a cutting blade provided on the pincher member toward a space between two clamping surfaces formed on the clamping member and spaced apart in a conveying direction.
The present invention is applicable to the manufacture of sausages using natural intestine casings, such as pig""s intestine casings or sheep casings, as well as sausages using artificial casings, such as cellulose casings or collagen casings. In addition, the present invention is also applicable to the manufacture of foodstuffs such as sausages in which a desired number of products are linked together by jointly using pincher members not provided with the cutting blades.